Hello everyone! This is Casimir with The Skald’s Circle again. Today we’ll be talking about death and its depictions in myth and folklore.
Well, we had to talk about it eventually didn’t we? Death. Death is constant in mythology and folklore in societies from all around the world. More specifically, I’m going to be talking about the personifications of death. Death itself is fairly universal, the fascination comes from how cultures depict their death deities and spirits and, what that in, turn these cultures say about these depictions. Today, we will focus on Norse, Egyptian, and the Greek depictions of death.
The Norse depiction of death was always something that I found particularly interesting. There is a prevailing theory that Odin began as a death deity, rather than his war god persona now. He gained the war persona because what better way to win a battle than praying for the death of your enemies? Odin also did not cause war unlike the straightforward war gods, such as Tyr. Odin caused strife and chaos and fighting amongst peaceful people. Finally, collecting the dead and taking them to his hall. A chaotic wild depiction of death in warfare, and other such strife. There are however, two other death gods among the Norse. Freya bears a similar role to Odin. She incites fighting and collects the honored dead. She is also a beautiful depiction of death, which is quite uncommon. Finally, there is Hel, who provides an interesting comparison. Hel is depicted as greedy, cruel, and harsh, in the admittedly limited writings we have about her. She takes all without concern to death. Hel provides the most similar depiction of death to the idea we have today. Death can be wild and chaotic, it can be a beautiful thing an end of suffering or the beginning of something new, or it can be a snuffing of a candle where one is then put in a holding cell with the rest of the not so honored dead. Most differently though, with Ragnarok looming, the Norse afterlife isn’t permanent. The Norse idea of death is both familiar and… foreign somehow, but it’s not the only one we’ll discuss.
The Egyptian idea of death is admittedly one I am less familiar with so I welcome corrections on this, but here is what I have seen (from what I’ve read). The obvious idea of the afterlife is there. However, it differs exceedingly from modern ideas of an afterlife. Anubis judges the dead, weighing their heart for the virtues of truth, order, and righteousness. If one’s heart is judged to weigh more than the feather of Ma’at then your soul is annihilated from existence. There is a possibility that this annihilation may have inspired, or at least be related, to the Christian interpretation of hell. The Egyptian idea of death is most similar to common Christian ideas of the afterlife. If you’re good, you get to live in the kingdom of Osiris, if you’re bad… well, it won’t be your problem anymore.
The Greek depiction of death is perhaps the most different from the common idea of the afterlife of these three. Thanatos and Hypnos, death and sleep, two brothers touch on the idea that death is but temporary sleep, as is mentioned in Death’s Messengers, a story we recorded this month. However, the fascination comes more specifically from Hades and the afterlife itself. The Greek underworld is less so a great or even alright afterlife like Heaven or the Kingdom of Osiris — instead, it’s… like a storage area. Yes, you won’t die, but you’re left there forever, simply existing with your friends and family for all eternity. Yes, there are levels of the afterlife depending on how you were judged to be in life, the Elysium fields for the righteous, the Asphodel Fields for the neutral, and Tartarus for the wicked. However, it never comes close to the idea of paradise in the afterlife like Christianity depicts Heaven. You’re existing, with your loved ones
I would love to discuss these afterlives and ideas of death. I am grim and always found it fascinating. If you know of any other interesting ideas of death or of the afterlife, please feel free to bring it up or send us an email and we will happily discuss it with you!
I hope you have enjoyed our discussion of mythology, folklore, and history